


Down Memory Lane

by flicker_album



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: American AU, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, High School AU, M/M, Pining, this whole fic can be summed up with Harry's "I have a secret" quote, very small mentions of coming out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 11:19:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17364959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flicker_album/pseuds/flicker_album
Summary: Harry and Louis have known each other since they were five. Now they’re in their senior year of high school and still best friends. Harry, as sentimental as ever, keeps anything Louis gives him in a box under his bed. He doesn’t anticipate Louis finding the box.





	Down Memory Lane

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This was so much fun to write. I loved the challenge of writing a fic with less that 2.5k words! I really hope you like this fic! Thank you to my beta, who really helped me out! Any other mistakes are my own. 
> 
> Title is from Memory Lane by McFly
> 
> **original prompt:** I’ve had a crush on you since kindergarten and we’re working on a science project together at my house. When I leave the room you dig through my stuff and find a box dedicated to you under my bed and _no_ those aren’t the valentines day cards you gave me in the 2nd grade!
> 
> This is a work of fiction! It does not represent any of the real life people mentioned.

“Harry, honey, what time did you say Louis was coming over?” Harry’s mom, Anne, yells up the stairs. 

Harry glances at the digital clock sitting on his dresser. “Uh, in about a half hour,” he yells back.

“Okay. I’m going to the store so I’ll be back in a little bit! Love you!” 

“Love you too.” Shit. Now he has a half an hour to clean his mess of a room  _ and  _ make himself presentable for Louis. Not that he  _ needs _ to look presentable, per say, but having a crush on someone you’ve been friends with since kindergarten will do that to you. 

He quickly goes around and cleans up the few random things littering his bedroom floor; mostly clothes and shoes. His desk is somewhat decent so he rearranges a few papers to make it look more organized. He makes his bed, since he has a feeling they’ll be working on their school project there anyway. The very last thing does it make sure his Louis Box is shoved far enough under his bed. 

Louis Box sounds a bit creepier than it is. Basically it’s any sentimental item Louis has ever given him (gifts, notes, old Valentine’s Day cards from second grade) and cute pictures of them together (and maybe some of just Louis) that he’s shoved into an old box. It was in a shoe box but he needed more space. Now it’s a regular cardboard box that he wrote **♥** **Louis** **♥** on. He keeps it under his bed so that hopefully no one will find it. 

After cleaning up Harry has a little over ten minutes left until Louis arrives. He shouldn’t be nervous because it’s just  _ Louis _ and they literally see each other every day at school plus the weekends where they hang out; sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with other friends. 

Harry would say Louis is his best friend and he hopes Louis thinks the same of him. That in itself is what makes Harry’s crush seem so much more than it is. He would never want to ruin what friendship he has with Louis. 

He quickly changes into clothes that he looks good in but that are also decently comfortable. His hair, well it’s a usual curly mess, but not frizzy so he calls that good. He brushes his teeth because, ew, he doesn’t want to gross Louis out. 

As he’s finishing up in the bathroom he can hear the front door opening downstairs. Louis hasn’t ever knocked or used the doorbell, preferring to waltz in like he lives there. 

“Haaaarrrryyyy,” Louis voice calls out as he stomps up the stairs.

Harry walks into the hallway just as Louis gets to the top step.

“Hey,” he feels a bit breathless, as he usually does in Louis’ presence. He hopes he’s not super obvious about his crush but he’s sure Louis has realized by now. And if he has, he doesn’t ever seem put off by it. They are both very cuddly people, more so when they’re around each other. 

“Ready to work on this bullshit of a project?” Louis asks as he walks into Harry’s room and plops himself down on the bed. 

“Absolutely not,” Harry replies as he joins him on the bed, sitting cross-legged, “but it’s due on Monday so we have to.” 

Louis groans and falls backwards onto Harry’s pillows. “Your bed is too comfy to do homework. We should nap instead.” He stretches his legs out as if he’s actually going to fall asleep, letting his left thigh rest against Harry’s knee. 

“C’mon.” Harry shakes his knee so it jostles Louis. “Let’s do half then take a break, deal?”

“Ugh, you’re always so responsible. Fine. Deal.”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Harry, we’ve been working for an hour and a half. Can we  _ please  _ take a break?” Louis pleads. 

They have been working pretty hard so Harry figures a break is well deserved. “Yeah, that’s fine Lou.” 

“Good, because I saw this video earlier that you would love. Let me find it.” Louis pulls his phone out and gets right up into Harry’s space, completely pressed together from shoulders down to ankles. 

Harry watches the video but lets his mind wander a bit when Louis goes from video to video. 

He remembers a day when they were about 10 and some of the boys in his class were talking about the new girl. They kept saying how pretty she was and yeah, Harry thought she was pretty, but something in the back of his mind kept saying  _ Louis is prettier. His hair is pretty. His laugh is pretty. His eyes are pretty.  _

That night he went home and asked his mom if boys could be pretty. She seemed surprised at the question but took it in stride. “Of course, honey. Anyone can be pretty. Why do you ask?”

“There’s a new girl in my class. Everyone thinks she’s pretty.”

Gently, his mom asks, “Do you think she’s pretty?”

“Yeah,” 10-year-old Harry shrugs. “But I think Louis is prettier.” 

His mom never brought that conversation up again until he was 14 years old and coming out to her. Honestly, Harry had forgotten all about it. She asked him if he still felt that way about Louis.

“Yeah, Louis has always been pretty. I’ve thought that since I was, like, five.” 

“Have you ever thought about telling him how you feel?” She asks tentatively. 

Harry scrunches his face up, confused. “Louis knows he’s pretty, he doesn’t need me telling him that.”

His mom doesn’t press any further, but Harry keeps that question in the back of his mind. Later that week he realizes what his mom meant. She was asking if he wanted to tell Louis that he  _ likes  _ him. But he doesn’t like Louis like that… does he? Yes, Louis is pretty (and funny, kind, smart, talented, witty, caring, etc.). He is Harry’s favorite person which makes him want to be around Louis as much as possible. They’re best friends. He leaves it at that for now.

By the time he was 15, Harry knew for sure he liked Louis as more than a friend. He still kept that to himself. He remembers Louis coming out to him that year. It was a simple, “Yeah, I think I like guys,” said in passing, but he could tell Louis was nervous. After that things between them seemed… different; a good different. It made Harry hopeful, because sometimes it seemed like Louis liked him as well, but he was still worried about fucking everything up that he kept his feelings to himself. 

Currently they’re both 17 and in their final year of high school. They plan on going to the same college, which Harry is glad for because he’s not sure what he’d do if he didn’t get to see Louis everyday. He also ended up telling one of their mutual friends, Liam, about his crush. Liam just told him, “Go for it! Trust me, he likes you too. You probably haven’t noticed but he looks at you like… like you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him.” Harry didn’t know what to say to that.

“Haaaarrrryyyy,” Louis’ soft voice sing-songs, bringing him back to the present. “What are you daydreaming about?” At some point he had leaned his head down on Harry’s shoulder and cuddled up into his side.

“You hungry?” Harry asks, trying to distract Louis with food. “I can go grab us some stuff.” 

“Yeah, sure. Want me to help?” 

“Nah. I’m just gonna go to the bathroom first then I’ll grab some chips or something.”

As he untangles himself from Louis and gets off the bed, the papers for their project scatter to the floor. “Oops. Can you pick those up? Pretty please?” Harry bats his eyelashes at Louis.

Louis huffs out “Fine,” but doesn’t make to get off the bed yet. 

Harry just shrugs and continues walking out of the room. He knows Louis will do it so he isn’t going to complain. He uses the bathroom, washes his hands, and goes downstairs to the kitchen. After grabbing some snacks, including Louis’ favorite chips that Anne keeps stocked up on _“Just in case!”_ , Harry heads back to his room. Once he opens the door he stops in his tracks.

Louis is sitting there on the floor, their homework still scattered completely around him, with the Louis Box on his lap. Opened.

“Louis…” his voice trails off, breathless again, but for a completely different reason. Harry feels vulnerable, scared, nervous. He has no idea what Louis is thinking. 

Pulling something out of the box, Louis says, “I gave you this in fifth grade.” It’s a plastic ring from a 25¢ machine. Harry nods as Louis drops it back into the box and grabs something else. “This is the note we got caught passing in freshman year. Your first detention.” He puts it back and starts looking through the pictures Harry put in there. 

A picture from when they went on their first field trip in kindergarten. Anne loves to talk about how they held hands as they walked around the zoo. One from when they were 9 years old on the same soccer team, grinning in their neon green jerseys with their arms around each other. Harry only joined the team because of Louis; he’s really not good at soccer. A photo from just last year at junior prom where they’re standing on the porch at Louis’ house, wearing suits that look so much alike they’re almost matching. Technically they went as a big group with their friends, but they look more like a couple in the pictures.

Harry watches as the pictures fall back into the box. He’s still standing at the threshold to his room, holding onto their food. “Louis,” he tries again. “I can explain?” It ends up coming out more like a question and he’s even not sure he  _ can  _ explain because he never thought Louis would find the box.

Louis looks up at him, his eyes shining with confusion? Hope? Harry isn’t sure what it is. He walks over to his desk and sets the food down. His hands are shaky and sweaty. He almost joins Louis on the floor but decides to sit at his desk, needing the little bit of distance to have this conversation.

“I saved that stuff because it was important to me.” It’s simplest way he can start out describing what Louis found. 

“A Pokémon Valentine’s Day card from elementary school is important to you?” 

Harry snorts. Louis’ words have broken a little of the tension that had settled into the room. “Yes, actually.” He takes a deep breath. “Because it was from you.” 

“Do you have a box for Liam? Niall? Zayn?” 

“No, just you,” he says, voice soft and quiet. “Anything you give to me is important.” 

“Why?” Louis’ voice matches Harry’s in tone and volume. 

Harry scoffs. “C’mon Louis. You’re smart enough to figure out why. I think what I wrote on the top of the box is pretty obvious.” 

Louis moves the box off of him and closes it. The  **♥** **Louis** **♥** is glaring at Harry. He knows the truth is about to come out and he’s trying to prepare himself.

“I think I’d like to hear it from you.”

“I… I…” Harry stutters out. He’s put on the spot now. Shifting his eyes down, staring at the box rather than at Louis, he says in a rushed voice “I’ve had a crush on you since I was 15. Possibly earlier. Maybe since I was 5.” 

Louis screeches “Since you were  _ five?! _ ” 

Harry isn’t sure what else to say so silence falls between them again. He doesn’t think he needs to elaborate more now that he’s told Louis the truth and he’s seen the box. 

“I realized I liked you when we were 12.” 

Harry’s eyes snap back to find Louis’ but the latter is staring at the floor, his fingers messing with a loose thread from his jeans. 

“You… you like me?” Harry squeaks out. He feels even more caught off guard, more so than when he walked in and saw Louis looking through the box.

This time Louis locks eyes with Harry. “And you like me.” He gives him a shy smile, which is wild to Harry because Louis is  _ not _ shy around him.

The room grows quiet again. Harry’s heart is pounding so hard in his chest; he’s nervous. He’s nervous around  _ Louis_, who he has known practically his whole life. It seems a bit ridiculous and he’s about to tell him as much when Louis speaks up again. 

__

“I know we still have things to discuss about this but… can I kiss you?” Louis’ face is bright red. “I mean, only if you want to.”

__

“Yes!” Harry all but shouts. He takes a small breath and tries again, at a more acceptable volume. “Yes. I would- I’d really like that.”

__

Louis scrambles to his feet so Harry stands up as well. They’re still an awkward distance away from each other so Harry bravely grabs Louis’ wrist and pulls him closer, almost flush against his body. He’s nervous but he wants this. 

__

There’s a moment where they’re standing there staring in each other’s eyes. Harry’s hands are on Louis’ waist, patiently waiting for Louis to make some sort of move. Right as he’s thinking he may need to make another move, Louis brings a hand up the back of Harry’s head and brings their lips together. 

__

It’s a simple press; once, twice, three times. Harry doesn’t want to overdo it before they get a chance to talk about everything. They rest their foreheads together, neither wanting to move away from the other. Harry’s eyes are closed, thinking over these recent events, when he realizes something he never asked Louis.

__

“Lou,” he whispers, “how did you find the box?” 

__

Louis pulls away a little and sheepishly looks at Harry. “When you got up and all the papers fell, so did my pen. I thought it rolled under the bed so I started reaching to find it. Found something way better instead.” He quickly pecks Harry on the cheek, right over his dimple.

__

Harry wraps his arms around Louis and pulls him into a tight embrace. They’re completely wrapped up in each other.

__

“Thank god for that pen,” he whispers into Louis’ hair.

__

Louis laughs softly. Harry can feel the vibrations from where they’re pressed together, still hugging.

__

“Thank god for that box.”

__

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! After author reveals I will add a tumblr link!


End file.
